June 18, 2010
Volume 40, No. 24
CAW Applauds Agreement on CPP
CAW President Ken Lewenza is voicing his strong approval of the June 14 agreement by most of the provinces and the federal government to improve Canada Pension Plan benefits.
"This is an historic agreement that will hopefully mean greater dignity in retirement for millions of Canadians," said Lewenza. He congratulated the provincial and federal finance ministers, particularly Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan and Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, for recognizing the necessity of changing CPP legislation. While it was a shame that the Province of Alberta continues to oppose changes to the CPP, Lewenza said he was pleased to see all other provinces coming to consensus.
Lewenza credits a co-ordinated effort to press elected officials for change, combined with a number of high profile bankruptcy cases, including Nortel, which created greater public awareness about the difficulties retirees often face. "Collectively, we owe a debt of gratitude to the hundreds of thousands of women and men who attended rallies, contacted their elected officials, called in to radio shows and filled the letter boxes, voicing their concerns around retirement security. Without these efforts, we would not have anything to celebrate today."
Lewenza reaffirmed that the details of the agreement will be extremely important. "Canadians must continue to be vigilant that tangible changes will be made to CPP legislation that will enhance the quality of life for people when they retire," said Lewenza.
Lewenza also warned against alarmists in the business community who have indicated that improvements to CPP benefits will kill jobs. "This is just an attempt to derail critical changes that would bring about greater equality and dignity for Canadians when they retire. Equality in our country has been under attack for years, and this line of argument is exactly that."
CAW Members Vote in Favour of Strike at VIA Rail, If Needed
CAW members who work at VIA Rail have voted more than 94 per cent in favour of strike action, if needed.
CAW members in Local 100 and National Council 4000 voted in a recent series of meetings across the country to support the VIA Master Bargaining Committee as they move towards a strike deadline of June 27- at 11:59 p.m.
Further negotiations are scheduled for Monday, June 21 in Montreal and will continue until the deadline of Sunday, June 27th at midnight.
"The bargaining committee remains determined to reach a settlement without a dispute but the corporation's concession demands must be stopped," said CAW President Ken Lewenza.
"Our bargaining committee, supported by the strong membership strike vote, are fighting to protect hard fought gains from past negotiations and are determined to enhance the working lives of the membership through this round of collective bargaining," Lewenza said.
The CAW represents more than 2,000 workers at VIA in on-train and clerical services, including ticket vendors and maintenance.
CAW Local 504 Members Reject Siemens Closure Plan
CAW Local 504 members who work at the Siemens turbine manufacturing facility in Hamilton, Ontario are expressing outrage over the company's latest response to a proposed closure agreement.
More than 400 workers took part in a membership meeting Sunday, June 13 to discuss the company's refusal to negotiate a fair and equitable closure agreement. On June 14 workers burned the company's latest response in a barrel outside the plant during a protest at noon hour.
CAW Local 504 President Randy Smith said despite repeated requests the CEO of Siemens Canada is refusing to meet with CAW National President Ken Lewenza to find a solution to the problem.
"This is totally unacceptable," Smith said. "We are going to fight back to ensure our members get a fair and equitable closure agreement."
Bob Chernecki, assistant to the CAW President, said Siemens is a highly profitable international corporation. He said CAW members at the Hamilton plant are highly skilled with many years of service.
"These workers have made an enormous contribution to this company, which is refusing to recognize the importance and value of the work of the Hamilton workforce," Chernecki said.
"We're determined to secure a solid closure agreement on behalf of these workers," Chernecki said.
Doug Brown, Siemens hourly unit chair, said the workforce is older with the majority of members over 50 years of age who will face an "impossible task of finding comparable jobs this late in their work careers. This is why we need an enhanced closure agreement that reflects the dedication, hard work and high skills of these members."
"The bargaining committee has been frustrated at every turn by the company but we remain determined to negotiate a good closure agreement," said Brown.
CAW Ratifies First Agreement With Brinks
CAW members at Brinks have ratified a first contract by 81 per cent in 13 locations across Ontario.
The 950 workers recently voted in favour of the contract during ratification meetings over three days.
The new contract includes improvements to wages and benefits, with the extension of health care benefits to retirees for the first time.
"These negotiations focused on protecting historic gains, such as the pension plan and building for the future, including greater job security and representation in the workplace," said CAW President Ken Lewenza. "We wanted to ensure that the work our members do at Brinks is fairly compensated and that they share in the success of the company."
The deal also included a commitment by Brinks to create new full-time jobs and improved the scheduling of both full-time and part-time hours.
The deal was reached on June 11, 2010. The Brinks workers joined the CAW in October 2009.
June 21 - National Aboriginal Peoples Day
In 1996, the Governor General of Canada proclaimed June 21 National Aboriginal Peoples Day. The CAW recognizes June 21 as a day for all workers to show solidarity with Aboriginal communities, educating themselves on Aboriginal culture, celebrating its diversity and joining with Aboriginal peoples in calling for access to jobs, housing, healthcare, childcare and education.
The CAW National Human Rights department is encouraging all members to commemorate June 21 in local unions and workplaces across the country.
Is your local union or workplace planning to commemorate June 21? If so, send information and pictures of your event to the CAW Human Rights department: humanrights@caw.ca
To read the CAW National Executive Board statement on National Aboriginal People's Day, visit: http://www.caw.ca/en/7901.htm
To download the poster, visit: http://www.caw.ca/en/services-departments-human-rights-aboriginal-peoples-day-june-21-pdf.htm
Did You Know?
Did you know that you can watch video coverage of many CAW events on the CAW National
website? You can find Video News at: http://www.caw.ca/en/news-events-video-news.htm
